Final Tally: 1,883 pounds donated!

Yesterday we received the final totals for the amount of produce the House of Hope donated to the Neighborhood House Food Shelf. We should feel great having donated nearly one ton of fresh, healthy produce from our land. This year's total represents a 41% increase over last year (1,117 pounds) and we have seen an increase every year since we began. Congratulations volunteers!

A summery-fall day

The bounty of October first. If you are in the Twin Cities today, you'd better get outside and enjoy the magnificent, summery-fall day, this morning was better than a cup of coffee  --seriously.

A modest assessment by the numbers

Here are a few numbers relating to the garden so far this year*

5/14/2013

First date in the garden 2013

36

Garden volunteers

1,400

Pounds of produce delivered

233.75

Volunteer hours donated

* all numbers underestimate the actuals

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HEAPS! 1,268 pounds of healthy fruits and vegetables

In the words of Christine our fantastic Neighborhood House Food Shelf Coordinator:

"August has been quite the harvest month!! Here is the poundage:

• August total: 759 lbs!!
• Plus 509 lbs from the beginning of the season, equals 1,268 lbs grand total!

Way to go, House of Hope!! You guys are great!!"

Yep, garden volunteers are great!

Hey, we missed you!

These cukesauruses were hiding up against the fence (that's a quarter, not a dime at the bottom right). I have no idea what they will taste like. We harvested another 62 pounds of lots of beautiful, organic produce this morning.

Here, one of our great, early morning volunteers shows off some okra, banana peppers, and heirloom tomatoes, yum!

Tip of the iceberg

We have had several hot, humid days that seem almost intolerable to us, but the tomatoes seem to enjoy it. We harvested several pounds this morning, and they're just the tip of the iceberg.

Holy Harvest

"Holy Harvest, Batman! I dropped off 142 pounds of food at NH this morning."

~ Terri Mattila

The harvest continues

We are at the height of the midsummer harvest. This week we've harvested: eggplants, cauliflower, broccoli, some lettuce, kale, cilantro, beets, zucchini, yellow squash, lemon balm, parsley, collard greens, a few onions, cucumbers, and a lot more. Sidewalk passersby are always so supportive, which makes  us all smile. We are getting ready for strawberries (round 2) and the crush of peppers, tomatillos, and tomatoes galore!

Of the earth

Gosh, I love beets. I love their color and texture. I love that they are right in the soil when they are harvested.  It is so easy to freshen a salad by topping it with beets, or better yet, boil 'em, slice 'em, add some balsamic vinegar and some bleu cheese -- a family favorite.

So, why not kale?

The good: 

Kale is low in Saturated Fat, and very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Protein, Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Thiamin, Riboflavin, Folate, Iron and Magnesium, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Potassium, Copper and Manganese. Kale also has a low glycemic load and is considered a strong anti-inflammatory.

Read More http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2462/2#ixzz2ZKLiXydW

Kale and Garbanzo Beans

Ingredients

2 center-cut bacon slices

1 cup chopped carrot

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

2 1/2 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth

1 cup water

2 (15-ounce) cans organic chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained

4 cups chopped fresh kale

1/2 cup plain 2% reduced-fat Greek yogurt

4 lemon wedges (optional)

Preparation

1. Cook bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan using a slotted spoon, and crumble. Add 1 cup carrot and chopped onion to drippings in pan, and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic, and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add paprika, 1/4 teaspoon salt, cumin, and red pepper; cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in chicken broth, 1 cup water, and beans; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add 4 cups kale to bean mixture. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until kale is tender, stirring occasionally. Ladle about 1 1/4 cups bean mixture into each of 4 bowls, and top each serving with 2 tablespoons yogurt. Sprinkle with bacon, and serve with lemon wedges, if desired.

Bean meditation

It is harvest time for beans. Bean picking is kind of like knitting, you start out a little intense but, in time, your breathing slows and your focus intensifies. It looked a little overwhelming at first, so my strategy was to focus on one plant at a time, starting at the base of the plant and working my way up to the top, pick all the beans...next plant. In about 30 minutes I had a basket of beans.

Amazing. Even the discards of the plants look beautiful to me.

As of today...

Only two weeks into July and already we have donated 201 pounds of produce to our food shelf friends. Christine, the food shelf coordinator at Neighborhood House commented,

"Both Francis Basket (Maynard location) and Wellstone Center (Robie location) Food Shelves have been receiving HOH produce donations! Thank you so much – the HOH representatives who drop off the veggies are always so kind and cheerful."

I want to thank all the volunteers who have worked in the sun, rain, and wind weeding and harvesting.

Visiting the garden

I rode up to the garden  this morning on my bike. The air was quiet and still cool.

Visiting the garden is a little like seeing old friends.  Even though the plants had grown and changed they were all there pretty much how I remembered them. I bent down to snip the outside leaves of the chard and kale. I don't think they minded one bit.

I spent this past weekend with some friends I hadn't seen for over twenty years. They were part of my Peace Corps group that worked in Ecuador from 1989-1991. We laughed and danced and ate together. We canoed and reminisced. We picked up right where we had left off. What a wonderful time.

Up and running

Leaves; beautiful, intricate, delicious. This week we've delivered the first forty pounds of fresh produce to Neighborhood House. Kale, spinach, collard greens, and Swiss chard make up the bulk of the food delivered, but the food shelf also received nearly twenty pounds of fresh strawberries.

This year we are delivering to Francis Basket -- the Highland branch of the food shelf near Sibley Plaza -- in addition to the main food shelf on Robbie Street.

 

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Biomass increasing

The garden is on its way. With the rain, and now a little sun, the plants appear to be doubling in size each day. We have already harvested some mustard greens (and weeds).

 

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Spring at last

We're hoping for an energetic group of volunteers to prepare the beds and spread 12 cubic yards of mulch this Saturday. Hot coffee at 8:00 AM. Bring gloves, hoes and rakes, and dress in layers.

It's April, ready to start planting?

Well, we decided to hold off on the garden clean-up on Earth Day yesterday. This is the view down my street early this morning.

 

 

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